Discursive representations of a dissident: The case of Liu Xiaobo in China’s English press

Abstract

This article is a critical analysis of media discourses in which a dissident social actor is represented in China’s state-run English-language press. Specifically, it looks at media coverage of Liu Xiaobo, author of Charter 2008, a document calling for democracy and human rights in China. He was imprisoned for 11 years by the Chinese government for disseminating Charter 2008, but subsequently (to the government’s chagrin) was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in advocating human rights. This investigation examines articles from China’s English press on Liu Xiaobo. A transitivity analysis is conducted followed by an investigation of identifying and attributive relational processes in the texts. The findings show the use of passive agent deletion, definition/re-definition, and the attribution of derogating qualities to dissidents with the purpose of introducing biased ideological representations (positive- Self/negative- Other) into the discourse.